It’s been an interesting five years since The Capital City Hues began publishing in March 2006. Since that time in spite of the Great Recession and the overall decline in the print media industry, we are still kicking and still publishing. It’s hard to believe that we have already published over 130 editions of the paper.Over the course of the five years, I have had the privilege of reporting on people and events in Madison’s different communities of color. The Capital City Hues was an idea and little less back in 2006 and it has definitely become a reality today because of the stories and ideas that people within our communities of color have shared with us. In many ways, it has been Madison’s communities of color that have been building this community paper, one story at a time.Over the course of the five years, as I went from event to event and story to story, I was very fortunate to meet many movers and shakers within the different communities and many wonderful people who make contributions to their communities as well as the greater Madison area. While I have always believed in equality and in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community, it is my day-to-day experience of reporting that has allowed me to see Dr. King’s vision in the flesh. It has certainly been the fulfillment of my life to witness this community of people.One thing that I also noticed during the five years was that although there was overlapping between the communities in many beautiful and wondrous ways, the only constant to all of the things that were happening was me. No one else, as far as my limited perception could see, was quite covering the beat that I was. So when we started thinking of ways to celebrate the five year anniversary of our publication, we decided to make the pages of The Capital City Hues come alive, hence our theme The Hues Alive at Five: Celebrating Our Communities of Color. The paper, The Capital City Hues, is merely a reflection of the rich cultures and traditions that go on around us. Instead of celebrating a thing, a newspaper, we decided to celebrate the people who appear on its pages for without the people, the newspaper would not exist.On June 26th, The Hues Alive at Five: Celebrating Our Communities of Color will be held on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. We felt that it was most appropriate to hold the street celebration on Dr. King’s street as well as in the center of DeJope, which is the Ho-Chunk term for Four Lakes, the land on which they were the first inhabitants.From noon to 7 p.m., we will feature twelve different performance groups reflecting the broad Hues of talent in our midst. We have everything from gospel, jazz and soul to Indian classical dance and Native drumming. There will be a Hmong dance group as well as Japanese Taiko drumming and Mexican traditional dance. José Madera and Mario Mendoza will be collaborating on a group that will play some wonderful Afro-Caribbean music. Call for Peace will be starting us out with a multicultural dance and drumming performance that will reflect the spirit of The Hues.We are also making use of the occasion to honor some individuals who have worked hard to make our world more diverse and just, to bring us closer to Dr. King’s Beloved Community. The award recipients are former Governor James Doyle, Ada Deer, Jacqueline DeWalt, Lilliam Post, Paul and Atsuko Kusuda and E. Aggo Akyea.We will also be unveiling Cultural Banners that The Capital City Hues has commissioned. These 6 ft. tall by 12 ft. wide banners will depict diversity within the African, African American, American Indian, Asian American and Latino communities. We will also be displaying banners exhibiting the first 126 covers of The Capital City Hues.And finally we will also be featuring ethnic foods. For $15 adults and $10 children, festival goers will be able to eat a sampler of samosas, tamales, Jollof Rice with chicken and plantains, fried chicken and macaroni and cheese and Indian tacos plus three drinks The food/drink coupons must be ordered or purchased by June 19th because our permit does not allow us to make sales on the day of the event. It is like buying a ticket for an annual dinner. Checks can be mailed to The Hues, P.O. Box 259712, Madison, WI 53725-9712. Please include the name of each individual who will receive a coupon. You can also e-mail me at gramling@capitalcityhues.com to make a reservation.The Hues Alive at Five will be a wonderful time, but it won’t be a true celebration without you!